Xinix Offers Linux Lovers a Path to Zen

Xinix, pronounced "zen-ics," is an innovative newcomer to the world of Linux distros.

Now in beta, this distro has been spearheaded by a single developer who slowly is bringing other programmers on board to move things along. Despite its early development status, Xinix has potential for Linux fans who like to experiment with new platform concepts and do not mind trying out an operating system that is not yet fully functional.

Essentially, Xinix is an interesting side project for serious Linux fans — it definitely is not suitable for Linux newcomers.

You need a clear understanding of how to configure and troubleshoot on your own. The Xinix experience is highly reminiscent of the Linux home computer experience in the operating system's early days.

Developer Dave Henderson, who has 15 years experience as an IT administrator, sees Xinix as becoming the world's next generation of operating systems. It currently runs on conventional desktops and laptops, and mobile platforms will be coming in the future.

Expectations and Realities

Do not expect a fully developed Linux operating system when you crack open Xinix. By design, it is built to act more like firmware among devices.

The Xinix OS comes with just enough software for basic device operations. Users then take over and personalize their devices by installing any of the software or services located in the Software Shoppe.

Henderson has no long-term goals of entering the enterprise-level market, he told me. Instead, he plans to focus on embedded, personal and professional environments, ranging from small office/home office operations (SOHO) to medium-sized companies.

One of Henderson's primary goals is to keep Xinix small and efficient. He built in just enough framework to get the computing device into an environment where the users' work takes center stage.

What initially stoked my interest was the new in-house user interface, Web.de, a desktop environment based on Web standards such as HTML and javascript.

This style of interface has key advantages, Henderson said. For example, it provides optional built-in remote access capabilities, and it easily can be modified or customized.

Under the UI's Hood

Xinix is a Web-based distro with a very small footprint. The full GUI comes in at less than 100 MB. The embedded version is less than 44 MB.

Xinix originally forked from TinyCore Linux, reviewed here in this creative brand video. Henderson is morphing Xinix into a distro in its own right, though.

He uses the software from the TinyCore repo but applies a different naming convention. That may cause some problems in adding titles to your local installation. Just remember that this is an early release and is a work in progress.

The UI has three themes available: OEM, Windows-esque, and Unity-esque. These themes reinforce the project's goal of engineering a user interface that is intuitive and simple to use.

Xinix OS has several promising characteristics that separate it from the growing pack of new Linux OS offerings. For example, the package manager (pax) is built from scratch and is unique to this distro. The same is true of the UI and related applications, like the Web browser and website tool.

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